The Cue Sheet

The Newsletter of the Elmhurst Bicycle Club
Riding Strong for over 31 Years

April
2009

"Postcard" from the Arizona Trip

By Kären Schwartz

Photo by George Pastorino

Hi from Tucson. It's been a little colder than usual here-60's and low 70's-but it's been sunny and we've gotten some hard cycling in. Yesterday we did the big one. We went up Mt Lemmon for 20-25 miles in 3 1/2 hours and back down in about 1/2 hour. It was cold at the top as they had snow up there the day before. We had jackets, but we still froze for about the first 2,000 feet down. It was hard, but we felt a lot better than the day before when we went toward Arivaca (10 miles from the Mexican border). They had wind gusts from 20 to 30 mph in our faces the whole 22 miles there along with a climb the whole time. I was in my granny gear for some of the ride. Coming back we could go from 20 to 30 mph without much peddling! This ride was harder than Mt Lemmon.

Today is our rest day with a hike in the National Park (use those senior passes to get in free!) and then maybe a trip to the observatory this evening. We've enjoyed seeing the videos that Ray has been taking of our rides in the evenings. All in all, it's been a really great trip. Tomorrow is more cycling in the sun.

Earth Day Clean Up April 25

By Mary Ann Badke

Annual Earth Day Trail Cleanup of the Illinois Prairie Path & Great Western Trail
Saturday, April 25, 2009 - 9:00AM til Noon-ish
(No Rain Date—The cleanup will last until approximately noon.)

The Elmhurst Bicycle Club will once again take responsibility for cleaning up along a 1 mile section of the Great Western Trail between Schmale Road on the east and Gary Avenue on the west. Don Kirchenberg, volunteer Chairman of the Friends of the Great Western Trails, has said this annual “spring cleaning” is appreciated year around by trail users and the Friends of the Great Western Trails.

Since we started supporting this event in the 1990s, many EBC members have volunteered to help in the clean up. It’s a great time to meet and greet fellow EBC Members, and creates a great feeling to keep our trails clean. Please come out to help us this year.

The staging area will be the parking lot of the DuPage County Farm Bureau Foundation located at the Northeast corner of Gary Avenue and St. Charles Road (south of the Great Western Trail).

So on Saturday, April 25th, bring friends and family, sturdy gloves, “grabbers” (to reach under bushes). Wear clothes that cover your arms and will not stick to those nasty little thorn bushes. We already have some heavy duty bags but bring one of your own in case we run out.

We want to recycle found glass and cans but will have to take it home to our own community pick up. Bring your recycling bin if you want to do this for us - we can load it up at the end of the morning.

Those with wagons or two wheel carts to help carry the filled garbage bags are asked to bring them along too.

Steve Josephs will lead a ride to the Clean Up Event, starting from the Elmhurst Depot at 8 a.m.

For further information on EBC participation in this event, contact Mary Ann Badke at 630-663-0295, 708-341-1160 cell# or e-mail mabstime_aol.com.

For two general maps of GWT sections –
Kane & DeKalb Counties trail section can be found here: http://www.kaneforest.com/greatwestern.asp.
The DuPage section of the GWT can be found here: http://www.ipp.org/images/bwippmap.gif along with maps to the IPP and Fox River Trail.

Elmhurst Bicycle Club President Ray Dal Lago presented the Active Transportation Alliance (formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation) with a "Big Check" for $1,000 at the EBC March meeting.

Madison Memorial Day Weekend

By Larry Gitchell

The Madison Memorial Day weekend is changing hotels!

Our new location is the Residence Inn by Marriott Madison West/Middleton. You can read all the details at: www.residenceinnmadisonwest.com.

This is more of a business-oriented hotel, which means it probably will be relatively empty on a holiday weekend. The rooms have fully equipped kitchens, well-lit work desks, wireless internet, plus all those things you probably wanted to leave at home, like coffee makers, ironing boards, and hair dryers. The hotel provides a breakfast buffet, an exercise room, Indoor pool, whirlpool, and an outdoor Sport Court for tennis, basketball, and volleyball.

We'll be about a mile from downtown Middleton, which has several good restaurants, and within walking distance of the Greenway Station shopping area. By the way, the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum is said to be relocating to an historic building in downtown Middleton - but not until the end of the year.

I was quoted a $79 per night room rate.
The hotel sent me the following link for reservations: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/MSNWM?GroupCode=EBCEBCA&app=resvlink&fromDate=5/23/09&toDate=5/25/09. On that page you will see a box to enter a group code. Type EBCEBCA (not case sensitive), then click "FIND". You should see the $79.00 rate.
Or call the toll free number at (800) 331-3131. There's also a direct number for the property at (608) 662-1100. Tell them you're with the Elmhurst Bicycle Club. We have up to 15 rooms available. Reservation deadline is April 23rd at noon.

About the Rides:
The dates of the weekend are Saturday May 23rd through Monday May 25th.
The plan is to start from Olin-Turville Park on the southeast side of Madison at 10 AM Saturday morning. We'll ride over the hills to a tiny town called Sunnyside and have lunch overlooking Lake Kegonsa, followed by a relatively flat return to Madison. I may have a second ride touring some local bike shops in the afternoon. The start location is across the street from the Bratwurst Festival, so those who are interested in stuffing themselves on sausages and carbonated beverages (not me!) will have a chance early.

Our hotel is on the far west side of Madison. The main reason for this is that most hotels closer to Olin-Turville Park are filled up by runners attending the Madison Marathon. The hotel we've used for several years no longer belongs to Hampton, so we're switching to another location owned by the same group. It's in a flatter area than the previous place, where we had a standing joke that it was either at the highest elevation in Madison, or we had to go over the highest elevation in Madison to get back.

Sunday's ride starts at 9 AM from the hotel. We'll ride to a town that bills itself as "The Only Waunakee in the World". The route will loop back into Madison for a lunch break at a delightful place called Monty's Blue Plate Diner, then pass the state capitol and Lake Monona on the way back to the hotel. Traditionally we go out for a big group dinner on Sunday night.

Monday morning we'll start at 9 AM and take a loop around the south edge of Madison, returning for our official visit to BratFest. We may work in a bike shop stop or two, depending on time and mood.

All routes will be in the 30-35 mile range. There will be hills! I'll try to work out the routing so none of them are too serious. I may have some afternoon rides for those who want to accompany me for more mileage and more climbing.

For more information call Larry Gitchell at (708) 421-0120 (Cell Phone).

Camping option:
Sam Gunda is willing to reserve a camp site in Mendota Park (4 miles from the designated hotel). Cost is $60 per 3 days for a site that can hold up to 6 tents. Their web site is http://www.co.dane.wi.us/lwrd/parks/mendota.aspx. Contact Sam at 630-833-7410.

Pay your Membership Dues with Paypal

By Cindy Reedy

EBC members now have the option of paying their dues online using Paypal. To take advantage of this option, go to the Membership Application page on the EBC website: http://www.elmhurstbicycling.org/abt_membership.asp. Once there you can choose to print the membership form or complete the process online and pay through Paypal.

If you choose the Paypal option you will complete the membership application online and agree to the release and waiver. Then you will have an opportunity to review the information and make corrections if necessary. Next you will be directed to Paypal where you can pay with your Paypal account, create a Paypal account and pay with that, or pay with any valid credit card. You do not need to have a Paypal account to take advantage of this payment option.

The online form information will automatically be sent to the EBC Membership Director. Paypal will deposit the dues in the EBC bank account and notify the EBC Treasurer. There is a small processing fee which will be assumed by the Elmhurst Bicycling Club.

Leaders Wanted

By Ray Dal Lago

We've got more rides coming up in April than some clubs have all year! Believe it or not, we could use a few more rides. Many members, long time and new, are asking for 11-13 MPH rides. Here's a great way to volunteer time, meet some great members and get some riding miles. The ride doesn't have to be long and the route doesn't have to have the most incredible scenery. Any new volunteers???? Let's not rely solely on members currently leading 11-13 MPH rides. New ride leaders: step (er...pedal) forward and have some fun!

Please submit articles and/or photos for the newsletter to Cindy Reedy (cmreedy_prodigy.net) AND Sharon Hermach (ganskesh_hotmail.com). The deadline is the 15th of the month.

April 2009   •   •   •   Club Rides

Note: The most current ride schedule can be found on our website at http://www.elmhurstbicycling.org/rides/currentRide.aspx.

Ride Pace - by Steve Josephs, Ride Captain
Where there is not a miles per hour to describe the pace of a ride, please use the following as a guide:
   8-10 = very slow    10-12 = slow    14-16 = medium    16-18 = fast    12-14 = moderate    18-20+ = very fast
 

Note: The most current ride schedule can be found on our website at http://www.elmhurstbicycling.org/rides/currentRide.aspx.